D&D 5E The good, bad, and ugly of the Wish spell

[fuindordm]

I also make a distinction between mortal and legendary wishes.

Wish spell--its main, consequence-free use is as a joker to duplicate any spell in the game, and it can produce other effects in line with mortal spells.

Demon lord, noble genie, archangel: as above, and could go a bit farther keeping in mind that the entity granting the wish will do it in the most expedient way possible, and act according to their alignment and relationship with the PC. E.g. wishing for a vorpal sword might work, if the entity knows where one is and is powerful enough to go fetch it; otherwise they might transport the PC to the location, or declare that the wish is beyond their power but they can tell the PC where to find it. Typically the most expedient way of granting an unreasonable wish is through teleportation. But you only get the monkey's paw if the entity granting the wish is evil or you managed to piss off a neutral entity before it grants the wish.

Wish granted by Deck of Many Things or a god: the sky's the limit, with a spin based on alignment. The DoMT is pure chaos, so it will grant wishes (and other boons) fully but in such a way as to create more chaos in the world. A benevolent god will grant your wish and only spin it if it feels the need to protect others from the consequences of your wish; an evil god will grant your wish and might spin it to have larger consequences that advance its aims.

p.s. love the idea of a kitty elemental plane.

 

[transtemporal]

I'm happy for one-off wishes to be a lot more powerful than the spell but simpler wishes always work better. The more complex the wish, the bigger the chance I'm gonna screw with it.

 

[fuindordm]

Example 1:

"I wish I were the god of beer!"

Wish spell: simply fails.
Good/helpful genie: "Beyond my power. Wish for something else."
Evil/angry genie: Transforms PC into stone idol, transports it to an ignorant and isolated tribe somewhere along with a hundred casks of excellent beer. PC is technically a god because the tribe worships the idol.
Deck of Many Things: PC is invested with a small amount of divine power, becomes a quasi-deity with power over beer. Any beer blessed by the PC becomes superb, and getting drunk on it doesn't just lower inhibitions but encourages the drinker to act out their innermost desires regardless of the consequences.
Deity: PC becomes a quasi-deity, promoted to a tutelary spirit but now alignment-locked and completely subservient to the god.

Example 2:

"I wish I were a prince(ss)!"
Wish spell: fails unless circumstances are favorable, e.g. the party already has a good relationship with a royal family and the king or queen decides to adopt the PC.
Good/helpful genie: Conjures wealth and servants (Aladdin needed several wishes to get the full treatment)
Evil/angry genie: Forge genealogy papers in a country known for assassinations among the royal family. The PC gets invited to the country and claim their title, but actually gaining and holding power there will be a lot of work.
Deck of Many Things: Rewrite reality such that the PC is actually a long-lost scion of a royal family (switched at birth, for example) who has just discovered the truth. But this also triggers a civil war.
Deity: Angels/demons place PC on the throne of a strategic kingdom that is already receptive to divine fiat, with instructions to carry out an agenda.

 

[MarkB]

One thing I'd add to my earlier comments: Wish is the most powerful mortal magic there is, so even if they stick to one of the standard effects, make it spectacular.

If they ask for the whole party to be healed, don't just restore their HPs - have a cadre of angelic servitors show up and minister to their wounds.

If they choose to duplicate another spell, have a shadowy portal open up, beyond which an indistinct otherworldly figure incants the spell in a booming voice.

In short, make it epic.

 

[Mephista]

The wish was granted by a fiend. I'd say that this should definitely have a bit of a fiendish tone to it when you use the wish.

 

[Winterfell]

One thing I'd add to my earlier comments: Wish is the most powerful mortal magic there is, so even if they stick to one of the standard effects, make it spectacular.

If they ask for the whole party to be healed, don't just restore their HPs - have a cadre of angelic servitors show up and minister to their wounds.

If they choose to duplicate another spell, have a shadowy portal open up, beyond which an indistinct otherworldly figure incants the spell in a booming voice.

In short, make it epic.

The wish was granted by a fiend. I'd say that this should definitely have a bit of a fiendish tone to it when you use the wish.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

I had not really taken the Deck's power into account, and I really hadn't taken the epic natural of this opportunity for the PC. I did have the fiendish tone in mind and because it was card was thrown at the PC with absolute hatred (and negative energy) as they had a run-in earlier in the night.

I just took off the parameters outlined by the Wish spell, because that is in fact the best a mortal can hope to do. The deck is beyond the understanding of mortals and therefore can do things beyond comprehension.

I also gave two warnings: With great power comes great responsibility / Consider the source.

Once again thanks to all and any more stories of past wishes or thoughts are welcome...the Plane of Kitties is pretty damn epic (I just want to pet the kitties George...keeps running through my head).

 

[DMCF]

I haven't had to deal with the Wish spell but I do look forward to it. If it is used to duplicate a spell I would probably make it a spectacular effect and turn the tide of the situation/battle.

If the Wish is outrageous then I'll hamstring it but give the player(s) an opportunity for something awesome.

I might give them a castle in it's own plane of existence whose limits are the castle itself but I would tune a potentially deadly challenge for them to make a portal out, Solve the portal puzzle or defeat a monster guarding an exit portal.

For infinite wealth I might give them a small bag with which they can withdraw 25gp per day every day at dawn.

For a powerful magic item, I'd craft and tune it's sentient properties to saving throws appropriate for the level I believe the item should be effectively used.

 

[neobolts]

We typically have the wish written down.

In a friend's game, a player locked in jail desired to be free of imprisonment, free of suspicion, and have his confiscated possessions returned.

But what he wished for was "Being in the center of town, with all the stuff that used to be mine including my gold and crap, and absolutely nobody knows who I am."

 

[evilbob]

"Being in the center of town, with all the stuff that used to be mine including my gold and crap, and absolutely nobody knows who I am."

Without even being a RBGM I have to agree that this seems ... problematic.

 

[Winterfell]

We typically have the wish written down.

In a friend's game, a player locked in jail desired to be free of imprisonment, free of suspicion, and have his confiscated possessions returned.

But what he wished for was "Being in the center of town, with all the stuff that used to be mine including my gold and crap, and absolutely nobody knows who I am."

I guess the age of the character would have determined the stink he made showing up...